Women Partisans
- Mixed Media
-
30 x 33 in
(76.2 x 83.82 cm)
- Johanna Vogelsang
Thank you to the Eyerman family--artist Johanna Vogelsang’s daughter Kirsten Eyerman, her granddaughter Kyra Eyerman, and her son-in-law Edward Eyerman--for the generous donation of this work.
Also, thank you to the Hudson County Office of Cultural Affairs and Tourism for the generous grant to mount this exhibit of works by Johanna Vogelsang dealing with Social Justice.
The views expressed in this work are solely those of the artist, and do not reflect the views of Hudson County Community College, the Hudson County Community College Foundation, anyone working at this college, or any local, state or government organization.
The women depicted in this work were political workers who fought against totalitarianism in Europe during World War II (1939-1945). The word “Partisan” appears in the title of this work. “Partisan” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, means: “a firm adherent to a party, faction, cause, or person; especially: one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance … a member of a body of detached light troops making forays and harassing an enemy …. a member of a guerrilla band operating within enemy lines.”
In a published booklet including these artworks, called, “Meditations for Lent: Where Was God?” produced by the General Board for Church and Society in Washington, DC (1984), Jane Hull Harvey wrote, “What does it mean to be a partisan for justice in our world today? … Partisanship is a quality we often try to avoid in the interest of fairness. We have made non-partisanship, even-handedness, a virtue. But in an evil world … to be nonpartisan is to be a silent partner in that evil.”
Questions suggested by this work include: How do you know when it is right to be neutral about a serious problem? When and how do you know it is right to step in and help another human being? How do you take appropriate action?
- Created: 1983
- Current Location: 2 Enos Place - 3rd Floor
- Collections: Art that Includes Writing, Mixed Media, Portrait or Figurative, The Totalitarian State, Works by Women